


Soul in the Sky

by stardropdream



Category: Kobato
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-03
Updated: 2013-02-03
Packaged: 2017-11-28 03:01:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,179
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/669530
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stardropdream/pseuds/stardropdream
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Mihara family goes for a picnic.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Soul in the Sky

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on LJ July 5, 2009.

“Chiho, Chise, this way, girls,” Chitose reminded, looking over her shoulder to make sure the two blonde twins were running in the correct direction, one carrying a basket and the other a large blanket.   
  
“Yes, mama,” they said in unison, smiling widely as they trotted behind their mother, little feet padding over concrete as they stumbled to reach her side.  
  
“Papa will be waiting for us,” Chitose reminded, and this only made the two girls run faster, their smiles splitting into toothy grins. The three walked together, or more like trotted in the case of the twins, heading towards the park. The cherry trees weren’t yet in bloom, but it was just as well—Chitose had suggested this time of year for a picnic because the park wouldn’t be crowded.   
  
Once they reached the park, their father was waiting for them. He waved his two girls over and they both dashed forward, nearly dropping their precious supplies in their desire to hug their father, who gathered them contently into each arm, balancing the two girls in matching dresses on both his hips. He smiled at his wife in greeting, who glided over to her cheery family and planted a sweet kiss on his cheek, which sent him into a blushing fit while he said something rather saccharine that almost made Chitose blush, but rather only made her giggle over their daughter’s chorus of, “awwww, papa!”   
  
They walked the park together, Ichiro still holding Chise and Chiho, with Chitose walking beside them, smiling up at them and collecting the picnic basket and picnic blanket so her daughters could better wrap their small arms around their father’s neck. Ichiro navigated the park like an expert, and it was with only a teasing smile from his wife that his cherry red face was acknowledged.   
  
They found a suitable space beneath a large oak tree, and Chitose set the basket down to unfold and spread out the blanket. Ichiro set down the girls so they could help their mother, and he stood, hands on his hips and beaming proudly as he surveyed the location, as if he’d been the one to create it. Chitose sat down at one corner of the blanket and unwrapped the food and plates. Ichiro ducked down quickly to assist her, hands trembling when they bumped against hers, and even years after their courtship Chitose’s heart still warmed at the way he blushed and stammered around her, smiling awkwardly and hopelessly. Her heart beat and she touched his hand, feeling her own cheeks color sweetly.   
  
The sun was shining and the wind was blowing softly. With a flourish, Ichiro reached into the folds of his lab coat before he pulled out a kite, bright pink and decorated with bunnies. The twins grinned widely, and Chise grabbed the string while Chiho grabbed the kite, and the two ran off together to set the kite into the sky. Chiho planted herself just beyond the shadow of the oak tree and Chise went off running, unrolling the string behind her and daring the wind to pluck the kite up into the air.   
  
“Where were you keeping that?” Chitose asked her husband, laughing behind her hand.   
  
“A magician never reveals his secrets,” he said and couldn’t keep the pride from his voice at having made her laugh, cheeks round and warm and his smile even warmer. Chitose poured him a glass of lemonade and started preparing sandwiches for her family while Ichiro watched his two girls flying the kite, the protective watchdog beneath the shade of the tree.   
  
Presently, Chise became a bit overeager, running and laughing with her eyes shut so she could feel the wind kissing her face. Her little black buckle shoes padded through the grass, her skirt fluttering as her sister chased after her, falling behind as she ran out of breath from laughter and exertion. The younger of the twins kept running, giggling as she went.   
  
“Chise—!” Ichiro called out in warning but his little daughter didn’t hear her and it and she crashed into another patron of the park.   
  
“Whoa!” Chise said in surprise, dropping her hold on the kite. The wind was unforgiving and the kite began to dance away. Chiho was torn between catching the kite and helping her sister, but as the kite was flying past her she chose to recapture it and spare her sister’s tears at losing their father’s gift.   
  
Chise had collided with a boy of about fourteen or fifteen holding two bags of groceries, and he stumbled backwards, grabbing onto her awkwardly to keep her from falling over. He was rewarded for his troubles by having a bush cushion his fall as he toppled over backwards into a rhododendron bush. Chise stumbled, fighting against gravity and the counterattack of the boy’s heroic shove in the opposite direction. She scuffed her shoes but was otherwise unharmed.  
  
“I’m sorry!” Chise shouted in surprise, running to the bush and searching around for whomever she’d run into. She clenched her fists and held them to her chest, looking both stricken and earnest. “I wasn’t watching where I was going and—!”   
  
Whatever she was about to say next was abruptly cut off as the boy remerged from the bushes, dirt and discarded leaves clinging to his brown hair as he hurriedly reassured her, “No, I wasn’t looking where I was going and I—um—I…”   
  
He trailed off, staring up at the blonde girl vacantly, as a slow, steady blush crept up his face.  
  
“Chise!” Chitose called out, looking as if she were about to stand up.  
  
Chise waved. “I’m not hurt!”   
  
Chiho was returning with the kite, stopping a short distance from her sister and staring openly at the boy in the bush. Realizing his position, he quickly scrambled out of the bush, holding his two plastic bags and blushing profusely.   
  
“Are you sure you’re not hurt?” he and she asked at the same time and they both seemed vaguely surprised to hear the other one speak.   
  
“Ah—!” Chise said just as the boy said, “Oh…!”   
  
They stood awkwardly for a moment, the boy looking upwards at the sky as if in silent prayer—or thanks, it couldn’t be known—and Chise looked down, and spotted a bus pass lying in the grass near their feet. She knelt down, scooping it up.   
  
“Here you go, you dropped this!” Chise chirped happily, holding out the bus pass to the boy.  
  
He stumbled over his words as he managed to stutter out an incoherent thank you, face a bright red and his eyes looking anywhere but towards the family, where Ichiro was staring very intently and Chiho was watching him warily.   
  
Chise tilted her head in confusion at such a strange boy. “Eh? Is something the matter?” then she looked stricken for a moment. “Are you hurt? Please tell me if you are!”  
  
Because he couldn’t speak, he just quickly shook his head from side to side.   
  
The boy shifted nervously, trying to ignore the steady gaze of both the twin sister and the overprotective father. Even the mother was looking up now from where she’d been busy splattering some jam on bread.   
  
“Oh, it’s Hideki-kun,” Chitose said, smiling kindly. “Good afternoon.”  
  
“… Hello,” Hideki finally managed to gasp out, face still bright red as he tried to take the bus pass from Chise’s hand, still outstretched towards him. Their fingers brushed and it sent the poor boy into another spastic almost-cardiac arrest, because he could feel Ichiro’s gaze sizzle and burn.  
  
“You know him?” Ichiro asked, taking the proffered bread from his wife and snapping off a hefty bite rather viciously, his eyes still trained on this awkward boy over the rims of his thick glasses.   
  
“Oh yes, don’t you remember, Ichiro? He’s the boy who lived downstairs while our girls were younger. His family moved out a few years before.” Chitose was either oblivious to her husband’s wariness or she was choosing to ignore it, laying one hand on his forearm while waving over the blushing boy with her other hand.   
  
Chise was already running back to her family, glancing over her shoulder at this strange boy. Chiho took her sister’s hand and the two sat together in their matching dresses. Hideki awkwardly shuffled over, fiddling with his bus pass and looking down at the ground, face still a bright, bright red.   
  
“It’s nice to see you again, Miss Landlady,” he muttered to his feet.   
  
When he looked up again, Chise was smiling at him shyly and he had to look away, focusing on Chitose instead.  
  
“It’s been a while,” Chitose agreed with a warm laugh. She patted the place between her and Chise. “Sit down.”   
  
“Oh, I couldn’t—!”  
  
“Please,” Chitose insisted and Hideki was powerless to disobey, flopping down uselessly next to Chitose, gripping his knees and glancing shyly at the girl beside him through his fringe. She was looking back at him, too, biting her lower lip to keep from smiling goofily. Chitose continued, “We were just having lunch.”  
  
“I don’t want to interrupt,” Hideki stammered out, eyeing Ichiro, as the man had yet to take his gaze off the boy.   
  
“Not at all,” Chitose reassured.  
  
She was about to say more but Chise was sitting up straighter and piping up, “You know Mama?”   
  
Hideki nodded. “Um, I used to live in the building she rented out a-and…”  
  
“But I don’t remember you,” Chise said and looked unhappy about this fact.  
  
“That’s because you were still a little baby when Hideki-kun and his family moved out,” Chitose reminded with a gentle smile. “How old were you then, Hideki-kun? Four?”  
  
“Five,” Hideki corrected, still blushing.   
  
“Oh my how time passes,” Chitose said wistfully, placing a hand on her cheek as she tilted her head back, smiling with closed eyes as she felt the wind in her hair and recalled times long past. “That was over ten years ago…”   
  
“A-ah,” Hideki agreed and glanced at Chise. Their eyes locked and Chise smiled shyly at Hideki, whose face, if possible, ignited into an even brighter red. He had to look away hurriedly, and only ended up locking eyes with Ichiro, who was still watching him gravely, though the bite in his eyes was slowly seeping away, perhaps as a reaction to Chitose’s warm reception to Hideki.   
  
“I guess you’d be too young to really remember the twins,” Chitose said and pointed at each one in turn. “This is Chiho and this is Chise.”  
  
“Hello,” Chiho said politely, cradling the kite and watching Hideki with a knowing look that the boy chose not to look too much into.  
  
“Hi,” Chise said, shyly, and she was blushing now, too.   
  
“Would you like to join us for lunch, Hideki-kun?” Chitose invited.  
  
“I wouldn’t want to intrude,” Hideki said nervously.  
  
“You aren’t!” Chise said quickly, interrupting her mother as she opened her mouth. She looked vaguely surprised by the outburst but covered it up as she grinned widely, cheeks stained pink. “Mama made plenty of food, right?”  
  
“That’s right,” Chitose said.   
  
“Well…” Hideki glanced at Chise and then had to look away. He mumbled, sheepishly, “O-okay.”   
  
“Yay!” Chise whispered to herself and only her sister heard it. The two girls locked eyes, Chise blushing and Chiho frowning slightly before it melted away into a warm smile. She nudged her elbow into her sister’s side, and Chise squirmed away from it, and subsequently closer to Hideki.   
  
“Chise and I were flying a kite before,” Chiho said promptly, and then proceeded to shove the kite into Hideki’s hands. He fumbled with it and was about to speak when Chiho continued, “I’m tired. So you can play with her now.”   
  
“Uh,” Hideki said intelligently.  
  
Chise was already climbing to her feet, smiling sweetly down at the seated boy and offering her hand. “Do you want to?”  
  
Hideki found himself smiling stupidly, face bright red still and he reached up and grabbed her hand, allowing the shorter child to drag him off towards the open area of the park, away from the large oak tree. Chise didn’t let go of his hand and Hideki didn’t move to pull his hand away. The wind licked at their hair, pushing it to the side and Chise had to duck her head to hide her wide smile and disguise the strange twisting in her heart and fluttering of butterflies in her stomach as just excitement for more kite flying.   
  
Chiho sat back, drawing her knees to her chest, as she watched her sister play with this new boy.  
  
“That’s so sweet,” Chitose said, speaking Chiho’s thoughts exactly.   
  
Chiho closed her eyes, smiling. “Yeah.”  
  
“More lemonade,” Ichiro said curtly, watching his daughter and the boy like a hawk as Chitose laughed and poured more of the drink into his cup.   
  
“There, there,” she said calmly, wrapping her arms around Ichiro’s arm and resting her head on his shoulder, her eyes soft as she watched her daughter. “I’m glad she’s making friends.”   
  
“Tch,” Ichiro said but didn’t say anything more, and the corner of his mouth threatened a smile.


End file.
